Dive into Water Safety

School is out & the pools open this weekend! Make sure to follow these important tips for keeping your family cool and safe this summer.

1. Supervision is a must. Make sure to follow the 10/20 rule while your kids are swimming. The supervising adult should be positioned to be able to scan the water every 10 seconds and reach it within 20 seconds. It’s also important to have proper rescue/flotation devices & a phone nearby for extra insurance.

If you’re dropping your children off to swim investigate the pools rules & policies. Find out if there is a CERTIFIED life guard on duty or a pool attendant. A pool attendant is NOT certified to save lives.

If your child goes missing ALWAYS check the pool or lake FIRST. Child drowning is often silent. Many drowning accidents happen when the child has been missing less than five minutes.

2. Be sun smart. The sun’s ultraviolet strength is at its peak from 10AM to 4PM. During this time children should use a sunblock with an SPF rating of 50. Make sure to apply at least half an hour before swimming, reapply often, and don’t forget to apply to ears, feet, behind the legs and lips. There is a difference between water resistant and water proof sunscreen. Water resistant sunscreen only provides 40 minutes of protection in the water. Water proof sunscreen will give you 80 minutes of protection.

3. Baby Pool can be dangerous too. ALWAYS drain wading pools after children are done playing. Infants can drown in just a few inches of water. It’s also important to remove all toys when you leave the baby pool. Toys, balls and floats will attract children to unattended water.

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